


warm as the summer sun

by sloppytozier



Category: IT (2017) RPF, IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst, Comfort, M/M, and homophobia, but yeah this is some gay ass shit, f slur is said, uhhh mild spoilers for IT chapter 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 04:05:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20735957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sloppytozier/pseuds/sloppytozier
Summary: Eddie wants nothing more than to kiss Richie Tozier. Richie wants nothing more than to change himself, and be normal for once.





	warm as the summer sun

**Author's Note:**

> uhhhh hey!! this is my first reddie fic and i hope y’all like it! it 2 fucking destroyed me so yeah here we are! 
> 
> find me on tumblr at gentlemanfreddie !

Eddie Kaspbrak always showered, every day, no matter what, no matter how little grit got stuck under his clean cut nails, or how much he already smelled like his mother’s classic ivory soap. 

At first, it was his anxiety, his hypochondria convincing him that if he didn’t, he would get a staph infection, sepsis, or the very worst, AIDS. 

Logically, he knew that AIDS was only transmitted through very intimate contact, contact he wasn’t having with anyone yet, at the age of thirteen. but he was haunted by the news, of ailing men with dark blotches of purple plaguing their skin, their skin tight against their bones, their heads massive compared to the rest of their fragile bodies. 

But the worst of all? Eddie related to them. he could feel their panic, their pain at a lack of treatment, their predestined death, programmed by a single virus. He felt a twisted, yet strong kinship between the him and the men.Maybe it was the relentless names he was called. 

_girly boy_

_fruity boy_

The second reason, tied in with the first, was that every time he hung out with Richie Tozier, he felt dirty, and wrong. Like they were doing something they weren’t supposed to be, even if all they were doing was hanging out. But it was so thrilling, to be doing something seen as wrong and dirty, and doing it anyway. 

The thrill always wore off by the time Eddie got home. And so, as soon as he got home, he would scrub himself with the hottest water he could stand, until his skin was a bright rose color, or until he couldn’t stand the burning pain. But no matter how much pain he put himself through after, he couldn’t stop coming back to Richie, like an alcoholic showing up at the bar every night. 

+

“Hey Eds! How’s your mom?” Richie was the most annoying of any of the losers, by far. He always had unfunny quips, and crude jokes, always accompanied by a sailors vocabulary, one he had acquired at the tender age of nine. 

But he was also the most in tune with Eddie. He knew when to back off, and he knew when he was upset, even when Eddie was doing his best to hide it. 

“Richie, stop calling me that. I hate it. Also? It’s none of your business.” 

Richie smiled lazily. They were alone in the clubhouse, Richie laying in the hammock, his feet next to Eddies head. 

Truthfully, Eddie hadn’t meant to get that close to him. But his smell, the smell of his clean Hawaiian shirt along with this new cologne that Eddie loved to complain about, but also loved to smell. 

_Who are you even trying to attract? You’re like 13._ Eddie voiced this unsolicited opinion to him nearly every day, but Richie would just smirk, which made Eddie want to slap him. 

Today, Richie was snoring quietly, the hammock gently swaying as his chest rose and fell slowly. Eddie found himself entranced, marveling at how peaceful he seemed, a stark contrast to the way he was when he was awake. 

Suddenly overtaken by a bold thought, not so much one he wanted to act on, versus what his heart was telling him, he got up, walking toward Richie. He sat down next to him, and ran his hand through his dark curly hair, careful not to wake him up. Eddie marveled at how soft his hair was. Was it always that soft? Had Eddie really not noticed how nice it was? Or had Richie only started to care, now that they were starting high school? Whatever the case, it was pure joy, touching his hair ever so gently. 

Swiftly, before Richie woke up and asked why the fuck Eddie was playing with his hair, he planted a kiss on his forehead, and instantly moving away as he felt Richie slowly stir awake. 

“Hey, how long was I out for, Eddie spaghetti?” Richie rubbed his eyes, blinking quickly, and planting his feet on the floor, next to Eddie.

Eddie shrugged. “Dunno, half an hour? It’s half past eleven now.”

Richie yawned, standing up. “Let’s go do something. Go somewhere other than this clubhouse. I swear, we’ve spent half the summer here, and we’ve only been out of school for a week.”

“Whatever,” Eddie mumbled. Truthfully, he liked the clubhouse, especially the privacy and secrecy it afforded them, especially on Saturday mornings, when Stan was at the synagogue with his family, and everyone else watching TV, or whatever the rest of them did. “Arcade?”

Richies expression clouded over, his groggy eyes now conveying what seemed to Eddie was shame and fear. “No. I’m never going back there.” He turned away, climbing up the ladder to leave. 

Eddie, dumbfounded, followed, having to almost run to catch up with Richies sudden quick pace through the woods. “What happened? Was it Bowers? You shouldn’t be afraid of them, you basically killed a fucking demonic clown last summer.” 

Richie turned. Now, he looked distraught, almost like he was about to cry. His thick lensed glasses fogged up as his face turned a deep red, and he took a deep breath, sitting down. His chest heaved, and for the first time ever, Eddie watched him let out a full fledged sob. 

It was awful to watch. He couldn’t speak for a whole minute, and even once he composed himself enough to speak, Richie was still a mess. 

“Yesterday I was at the arcade. I-I was playing street fighter with B-Bowers cousin, and then he said he had to go. Fuck, I was so stupid.” Richie heated again, his whole body shaking. 

Eddie sat down near him, looking at him carefully. He was upset because he accidentally played street fighter with Bowers’ cousin? But just as he was about to ask, Richie spoke up again. 

“I offered another round, and that’s when it started. First, he said he wasn’t my boyfriend, which was out of nowhere. I mean, all I did was ask if he wanted to play another round. I didn’t even look at him much.” Richie coughed out, but continued. “But then Bowers came the fuck out of nowhere and asked if I was trying to bone his cousin. Then he called me a faggot in front of the whole crowd and told me to leave.”

Eddie wanted nothing more than to hug him, and tell him everything was going to be okay, that he knew he wasn’t trying to do anything wrong. But he didn’t move, he just stared. What was worse, he was jealous of this cousin, that  he  was the one who got Richies attention. But he pushed those feelings down, and simply nodded. 

“I wasn’t even hitting on him! It’s fucking street fighter. It’s a fucking video game. God, I fucking hate myself.” Richie took the corner of his shirt and wiped his face, but his face still shone with fresh tears, regret, and self loathing. 

Eddie looked at him, forcing himself not to touch him in any way. _‘_ _ He has germs’,  he told himself, ‘ _ _On his hands, on his face, in his hair. All over.’_ “ But that’s ridiculous. You’re not a... a faggot.” Eddie hated the way the word came out, like there was something wrong with being gay, but then, that was why the word was used as an insult, he supposed. Like he was his mother, watching the latest AIDS segment on the news. 

Richie looked at Eddie squarely, looking more intense and serious than ever. “But I am. I wanted him to stay. I liked him, he was nice, he smelled good. But it’s fine. They were right, you know? I am a fairy. I’m a fucking freak. It’s not right, scientifically. That’s the worst part. I’m like this, and it’s wrong, and I can’t change it.” 

Eddie stared, shaken. What was he supposed to say? That he was the exact same? That he fucking kissed his forehead not even ten minutes ago? Shell shocked, he remained quiet. 

“So there ya go, Eds. I’m a fucking freak of nature, on top of being a loser. But do me a favor, don’t tell the rest of them, especially if you’re going to ditch me. I don’t mind if you ditch me, by the way. I’d rather be ditched than be thought of as dirty, but I guess you thought I was dirty anyway, right Eds?” Richie let out a harsh laugh and stood up, continuing his brisk and now angered walk to where he left his bike. 

Eddie stood up, his chest rising and falling. Taking a puff from his inhaler, he then followed Richie. As soon as he overtook him, he turned around and pressed his lips to his, kissing him rather passionately. Richie tasted like tears and snot, if Eddie was being honest, but it wasn’t so bad. Wrapping his arms around him gently, he pulled away, looking up at him tenderly. 

Richie was fully frozen, his arms at his sides, his glasses slipping from the tears and sweat. “Huh.” 

Now it was Eddies turn to get emotional. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, still looking up at him, his gaze full of tenderness and love. 

Richie laughed. “For what? That wasn’t bad, spaghetti. Definitely not the worst way to start off the day.”

Eddie shook his head. “I didn’t know that happened. Why didn’t you come to the clubhouse? We were all there. I would have listened then. We all would have.”

Richie sighed. “I don’t know. It kinda fucked me up for the rest of the day.I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, and I sure as hell couldn’t tell my parents. If they find out, I’m going to have to move into the clubhouse.” He was still crying, but not nearly as much as before, and his face was now painted with bewilderment. 

Eddies hold on Richie tightened, drawing him into a hug. “It’s okay, Richie. Shhh-shhh, it’s okay now. I’m here for you. We don’t have to go anywhere, or do anything. We can stay right here, for as long as you want.”

Richie sniffed and nodded. “Okay. Thanks Eds.” He sat down again, and lay down in a soft patch of grass, patting the ground next to him. Eddie reluctantly followed, even though there were god knows how many germs and viruses were floating on and above the grass. 

It was perfect. 


End file.
